“the purpose of National Drink Wine Day is to spread the love and health benefits of wine. Wine has played an important role in history, religion and relationships. We embrace the positive benefits of wine such as new friends, reduced risk of heart disease and the enhancement of food and life.”

“Wine is sunlight, held together by water.”

How can you argue with that, since wine is a vital part of a healthy life!

Toast, It’s Good For You!

We all know that a glass of red wine every day tastes great, but science has shown that it’s a great way to maintain a healthy heart. Did you know the other benefits of a glass of wine? How about boosting your memory and immune system. Not only that, but wine in moderation might also help with weight loss. I mean, this stuff is gold!

There are so many great things to share about wine, including this story about a robot that can help pick grapes!

Introducing The Robot Winemaker Wall-Ye!

This is Wall-Ye, a vineyard-tending robot being developed in France. Wall-Ye costs $32,000, but it can “move from vine to vine, recognize plant features, capture and record data, memorize each vine, synchronize six cameras and guide its arms to wield tools.” The solar-powered Wall-Ye can prune 600 vines per day and even collect data on soil and fruit. It even has an anti-theft device that causes the hard drive to self-destruct if the GPS detects it’s been removed from the vineyard.

Check out the story!

Toast To Good Health And Eternal Life!

We all know how good wine taste, but thanks to Food and Wine magazine, here are the eight great reasons you need to be drinking an f’in Merlot right now:

The Benefit: Promotes Longevity

The Evidence: Wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers. Source: a Finnish study of 2,468 men over a 29-year period, published in the Journals of Gerontology, 2007.

The Benefit: Reduces Heart-Attack Risk

The Evidence: Moderate drinkers suffering from high blood pressure are 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack than nondrinkers. Source: a 16-year Harvard School of Public Health study of 11,711 men, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 2007.

The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

The Evidence: Red-wine tannins contain procyanidins, which protect against heart disease. Wines from Sardinia and southwest France have more procyanidins than other wines. Source: a study at Queen Mary University in London, published in Nature, 2006.

The Benefit: Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

The Evidence: Moderate drinkers have 30 percent less risk than nondrinkers of developing type 2 diabetes. Source: research on 369,862 individuals studied over an average of 12 years each, at Amsterdam’s VU University Medical Center, published in Diabetes Care, 2005.

The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Stroke

The Evidence: The possibility of suffering a blood clot–related stroke drops by about 50 percent in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol. Source: a Columbia University study of 3,176 individuals over an eight-year period, published in Stroke, 2006.

The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Cataracts

The Evidence: Moderate drinkers are 32 percent less likely to get cataracts than nondrinkers; those who consume wine are 43 percent less likely to develop cataracts than those drinking mainly beer. Source: a study of 1,379 individuals in Iceland, published in Nature, 2003.

The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer

The Evidence: Moderate consumption of wine (especially red) cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent. Source: a Stony Brook University study of 2,291 individuals over a four-year period, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2005.

The Benefit: Slows Brain Decline

The Evidence: Brain function declines at a markedly faster rate in nondrinkers than in moderate drinkers. Source: a Columbia University study of 1,416 people, published in Neuroepidemiology, 2006.

All of these great health benefits remind me of this classic wine-related movie exchange:

One of the greatest movie lines of all time, and it’s related to wine!

Time to toast a couple of GREAT wine movies!

Sideways

This classic film celebrates wine, friendship, love, disappointment, betrayal…sounds like it celebrates life! Here is the trailer for this modern masterpiece:

Paul Giamatti is Miles, a failed writer living a meager existence in San Diego as an English teacher. Thomas Haden Church is Jack, a fading television actor. The two embark on a road trip through California’s wine country., where they meet Sandra Oh and Virginia Madsen – two strong women who ultimately uncover Jack’s real story, and everyone’s life changes forever…

In one memorable scene in the film, Miles talks with great passion about Pinot Noir. After the release of this movie, sales of Pinot Noir wines rose by more than 20 percent. And of course, the classic scene where Miles screams about Merlot, caused Merlot sales to plummet. Once again, the classic line:

Here is a great quote from the film, which captures the passion of growing grapes and making wine:

“You have to have it in your blood, you have to grow up with the soil underneath your nails, the smell of the grapes in the air that you breathe. The cultivation of the vine was an art form. The refinement of the vine is a religion that requires pain and desire and sacrifice.”

Yes, indeed.

If you like this story, check out the great book at tells the story as well…and of course, check out the movie with a big glass of wine in your hand!

I leave you with Daryl Hall and John Oates and their tribute to wine:

Daryl Hall & John Oates – Intravino!

Wine is so good for you that Hall & Oates once wrote a song about it, and here it is!

Wine is also funny. If you don’t believe me, ask Monty Python, who offered up this wine review:

7 replies

Miles: “No, if anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!”
Now that’s what is wrong with that film! I really like Merlot.

My kind of day, John. Every day is national wine day in Beetley!
I do have a glass that takes a full bottle (75cl) of wine. We had to put it away after I said I would have “just the three glasses”…But I want a sink like that now!
Best wishes, Pete.

Pete, thanks for your comment – that movie actually hurt sales of Merlot – interesting how a punch line from a movie can hurt a product, since the scene was designed to be ironic – the bottle Miles hoards until the end of the movie is in fact a French Merlot!

I love great food, interesting books, fascinating travel, outrageous movies, and bacon, especially when it sits on top of a great cheeseburger!
I work in entertainment - and I have been lucky enough to interview some really talented Artists - that guides my posts: interesting and provocative movies, music, social media and of course, food, since I believe strongly in the maxim, "everyone eats!"